Throttle control



Filed Oct. 9, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept 22, 1942- v. E. MATuLAlTls *rHnoT'rLE CONTROL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 9, 1940 Sept.22, 1942. v. E. MATuLAlTls THROTTLE CONTROL 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed Oct. 9, 1940- SGPL' 22, 1942 v. E. MATuLAlTls 2,296,646

THROTTLE CONTROL l Filed oct. 9, 1940 Sheets-sheet 4 ATTORNEYS.

VPhtetulsept. 1942 2,296,646 'rnaorrm coN'rnor.

victor E. Mammals, Highland Park, Mich., as-

signor to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park,

Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application oetoher 9, 1940, serial No. 360,475

19 Claims.

'I'his invention relatesto throttle control devices especially in conjunction with motor vehicles.

It is well known at this time that internal combustion engines have a tendency to stall when, at low vehicle driving speeds, the driver suddenly releases the accelerator pedal to allow the throttle valve to suddenly close. This characteristic' is especially pronounced in motor vehicles equipped with a uid coupling through which the drive is taken. Not only does the fluid coupling allow the engine to stall even though the car is travelling at a low speed, by reason of the inherent slip in the uid coupling,

` but the action of the fluid in the coupling incident to change from drive to coast when the driver releases the accelerator pedal accentuates the tendency for the engine to stall. At relatively high speeds the fluid coupling 'acts to prevent stalling of the engine and also at this time the engine does not tend to stall.

Heretofore, in motor vehicles equipped with uid couplings, free-wheeling clutches, or other devices which release the engine from the car' ground wheels when the accelerator pedal is released, or in vehicles Without any release device wherein the engine stalling tendency at low speed is especially pronounced, such vehicles have been equipped with a dashpot or similar retardingI device for controlling the last part of throttle closing movement independently of the accelerator pedal. Thus, while the accelerator pedal-may be suddenly released, the throttle valve has its nal closing movement retarded so that the fuel supply system and other factors which are disturbed andwhich give rise to engine stalling have an opportunity to become balanced or adjusted to the coast conditions whereupon the throttle valve is allowed to fully close.

The foregoing throttle retarding devices have the disadvantage that at relatively high speeds of the engine and car, the full effect of utilizing the engine as a brake, when the accelerator pedal is released. cannot be realized because the throtretarding device is employed.

There is also a vfurther objection to the use of the throttle control devices commonly heretofore employed in conjunction with the aforesaid free-wheel systems and in conjunction with transmission systems incorporating a change speed, usually a step-up in the speed ratio drive, brought into action by releasing the accelerator pedal so as to allow the engine to coast down to synchronize the speeds of the drive control parts.

In such systems the throttle control acts to increase the timefor bringing the change speed' into operation or for rendering the free-wheel inoperative because the engine drops its speed much more slowly than where the throttle control device is not employed.

It is an object of my invention to provide ilnprovec' means, preferably automatically acting, for bringing the throttle control device into action at low speeds and for eliminating the throttle control device at higher speeds where it is not needed and where it is a detriment from the standpoints of engine braking, free-wheel elimination, speed ratio change incident to coast or any of these factors alone or together.

In driving systems employing what is known as a kick-down control on the transmission, whereby'the driver by fully depressing the accelerator 4 pedal causes a downshift or step-down in the driving ratio through the transmission, it is important to eliminate the dashpot action so that a rapid upshift o'r step-up in the transmission driving ratio is effected when the driver suddenly releases the accelerator pedal under conditions where this sudden release takes place at relatively high car and engine speeds. It is a further object of my invention to provide a throttle control so arranged that it Will provide substantially instantaneous response to control functions call` ing for operation or elimination of the dashpot action, especially so that, in the instance of sudden release of the accelerator pedal from kickdown as aforesaid, the dashpot action will be ineffective to retard the throttle closing. This not only provides rapid transmission step-up but quickly couples the engine with the vehicle driving wheels so that full braking eifect of the engine is available without undue delay.

In driving systems incorporating speed ratio change under speed responsive control, I preferably employ the same speed control for controlling the throttle retarding device, especially in those systems wherein the engine has a tendency to stall only `at speeds below the speed of operation of the speed ratio change. If this is not convenient or desired, then a separate speed responsive control may be provided for the throttle retarding device. f

Further objects and advantages of, my invention will'be more apparent from the following illustrative embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l.is a side elevational view showing a-- motor' vehicle engine and power transmission equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view through the main clutching mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a similar view throughthe change speed transmission.

. Fig. 4 is a detail enlarged view of the blocker clutch as seen in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view illustrated as a development according to line 5 5 of Fig. 4, the automatic clutching sleeve being released, l

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the automatic clutching sleeve in its-'intermediate shift position during the drive blocking condition.

- Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the automatic A clutching sleeve in its coasting relationship from shown in its released position.

Fig. ll is a similar view in another operating position of certain of the parts.

Fig. 12 is a sectional elevational view showin the throttle retarding device and my control therefor.

v Fig. 13 is a detail elevational view taken as indicated by line l3-l3 0f Fig. 12.

While my control may be employed in conjunction with various types and arrangements of mechanisms and devices, I have illustrated the principles of my invention in connection with a motor vehicle transmission of the type in which speedl ratio change occurs in response to engine retardation. It is desirable to illustrate one such driving' system in order to describe the functioning of my control, when usedin conjunction with a transmission of this type, and

to this end I have shown certain salient parts of v the transmission system which is more fully described and claimed in the copending application of Carl A. Neracher et al., Serial No. 335,310, med May 15, 1940. v 1

In the drawings A represents the internal combustion engine which drives through iiuid coupling B and conventional type of friction main clutch C to the speed ratio transmission D whence the drive pses from output shaft to drive the rear vehicle wheels in Athe usual manner.

'I'he engine crankshaft 2| carries the vaned iiuid couplingl impeller 22 which in the well known manner drives th`e vaned runner 23 whence the drivev passesthrough hub 24 to clutch driving member 25.A 'Ihis member then transmits the drive, when clutch C is engaged; as in Fig. 2, through driven member 26 to the transmission driving shaft 21 carrying the main drive pinion 28. A clutch pedal 29 controls clutch C such that when the driver depresses this pedal,

. collar 30 is thrust forward to cause levers 3| to release the clutch driving pressure plate 32' against springs 33 thereby releasing the drive betweenrunner 23 and shaft 21. The primary function ofthe main clutch C is to enable the drive to make manual shifts in transmission D. Referring to the transmission, pinion 28 is in constant mesh with gear 34 which drives countershaft 35 through an overrunning clutch E of the usual type such that when shaft 21 drives in its usual clockwise direction (looking from front to rear) then clutch E will engage to lock gear 34 to countershaft 35 whenever the gear 34 tends to drive faster than the countershaft. However, whenever this gear 34 tends to rotate slower than the countershaft then clutch E will automatical- 1y release whereby shaft 21, under certain conditions, m'ay readily drop its speed while countershaft 35 continues to revolve.

Countershaft 35 comprises cluster gears 36, 31 and 38 which respectively provide drives in first, third and reverse. Freely rotatable on shaft 20 are the first and third driven gears 39 and`40 respectively in constant mesh with countershaft gears 36 and 31. A hub 4l is splined on shaft 20 and carries therewith a manually shiftable sleeve 42 adapted to shift from the Fig. 3 neutral position either rearwardly to clutch with teeth 43 of gear 39 or else forwardly to clutch with teeth 44 of gear 40. Sleeve 42 is operably connected to shift rail 45 adapted for operation by any suitable means under shifting control of the vehicle driver.

Shaft 20 also carries reverse driven gear 46 fixed thereto. A reverse idler gear 41 is suitably mounted so that when reverse drive is desired, idler di is shifted into mesh with gears 38 and 46.

First, third and reverse speed ratio drives and neutral are under manual shift .control of the vehicle driver, the main clutch C being released by depresisng pedal 29 in shifting into` any one of these drives.

First is obtained by shifting sleeve 42 to clutch with teeth 43, the drive passing from eng/ine -A, through fluid coupling B, clutch C and shaft 21 to pinion 28 thence through gear `34 and clutch E tocountershaft 35. From the countershaft the driveis through gears 36, I39 and sleevel 42 to shaft 20.

Third is obtained by shifting sleeve 42 to clutch with teeth 44', the drive passing from the engine to the countershaft 35 as before,- thence through gears 31, 4I) and sleeve 42 to shaft 20.

under certain conditions, is adapted to shift forwardly to clutchvwith teeth 49 carried by pinion 2'8 thereby positively clutching shaft 21 directly to gear 40. This sleeve F is adapted to step-up the speed ratio drive from rst to second and from third to fourth which is a direct drive speed ratio. Control means is provided which limits clutching of sleeve F to approximate synchronism with teeth 49 and also to a condition of engine coast, sleeve F being prevented from clutching'during that condition known as engine drive as when the engine is being speeded up under power. l

When driving in first, second is obtained by the driver releasing the usual accelerator pedal ll' thereby closing the engine throttle valve and allowing the engine to coast down. When this occurs, the engine along with shaft 21, pinion 23 and gear 34 all slow down while shaft 2l along with gears 39 and 36 continue their speeds byl accommodation of clutch E which now overruns. The engine slows down until teeth 49 are brought to approximate synchronism with sleeve F'which thereupon automatically shifts v toclutch with teeth 49 resulting in a two-way drive for secdepending on whether the manually shiftable sleeve F was set for ilrst or third just prior to e the clutching shift of sleeve F.

ond as follows: pinion 28 through sleeve F to gear 4II thence through gears 31, 39 andy 39 to sleeve 42 and shaftl, the clutch E overrunning. First is a free-wheeling drive, by reason of overrunning clutch E. until sleeve F shifts forwardly accompanied by engine coast to bring about the aforesaid synchronous condition.

When driving in third, fourth or direct is obtained Just, as for second by driver release of the accelerator pedal and resulting shift of sleeve F to clutch with teeth 49 when these parts are synchronized 'by reason of the engine coasting down from the drive in third. Third is a freewheeling drive, by reason of overrunning clutch E, until sleeve F shifts forwardly accompanied by engine coastto bring about the aforesaid synchronous condition. The direct drive ls a twoway drive as follows: pinion 29 through sleeve F to gear 40 thence directly through sleeve 42 to shaft 20, clutch E overrunning as before.

Referring vto Figs. 4 to 9 there is shown the blocking means for controlling clutching shift of sleeve F so as` to limit clutching thereof to engine coasting and synchronous relationship of the clutching parts. Sleeve F is provided with a series of pairs of what may be termed long and short teeth 50, 5| certain of which may be bridged or joined together. A blocker ring 52 is provided with blocking teeth 53 which either lie in the path of forward shift of sleeve 50 or 5I or else between'these teeth to allow clutching shift of sleeve F. Thus, blocker 52 has, at suitable locations, a drive lug 54 engaged in a slot 55 of gear 40. The blocker is urged under light energizing pressure of spring 56 into constant frictional engagement at 51 with pinion29 so. that the blocker tends to rotate with pinion 28 within the limits afforded by the travel of lug 54 circumferentially in slot 55.

During drive in first and third, the speed of shaft 21 exceeds the speed of gear 40 so that if sleeve F is fully released, the parts will be positioned as in Fig. 5 wherein the blocker leads the sleeve F thereby positioning blocker teeth 53 axially in alignment with the short teeth 5I. now the sleeve F is urged forwardly it will move to the Fig. 6 position of drive blocking and will remain in this blocked position as long as the engine drives the car in first or third.

If now the driver releases the accelerator pedal so that the engine may coast down under accommodation of overrunning clutch E, while sleeve F is urged forwardly, then when pinion 28 is reduced in speed to that of sleeve F slight further drop in speed of pinion 28 -for a'fraction of In the event that sleeve F is urged forwardly from its Fig. 5 position at a time when the gear v 40 is rotating faster thanvpinion 28, then the blocker 52 will lag behind the sleeve and will be blocked by engagement of long teeth with the blocker teeth 53 as shown in Fig. 9. This is referredl to as the coast blocking condition. If now the engine is speeded up by the driver depressing the accelerator pedal in the usual manner, then the engine` and blocker 52 rotate forwardly and lblocker teeth 53 move over to the Fig. 6 drive blocking position thereby jumping the gap between teeth 50 and 5I. This is the primary reason for providing the long and short teeth whereby sleeve F clutches only from the drive blocking condition followed` by engine coast which protects the teeth and avoids harsh clutching effects on the passengers and transmission mechanism. On accelerating the engine from the Fig. 9 coast blocking condition, the engine comes up to a speed limited by engagement of the overrunning clutch E for drive in either rst or third depending on the setting of the manually shiftable sleeve 42. Then on releasing the accelerator pedal the sleeve F will synchronously clutch with teeth 49 during coast to. step-up the drive to either second or fourth as aforesaid.

The transmission is provided with suitable prime mover means for controlling shift of sleeve F along with several control means. Referring particularly to Figs. l0 and l1 there is illustrated a pressure fluid operated motor G utilizing air pressure for its operation. For convenience this motor is arranged to operate by the vacuum in the intake manifold system of the engine under control of electromagnetic means illustrated in the form of a solenoid H.

Forward shift of sleeve F is effected, under control of motor G, by reason of a spring 58 fixed at one end and exerting a pull on lever 59 which is connected to sleeve F through the cross-shaft '60 and shifter yoke 6I. Pivoted to the lower endof lever 59 is a follower rod 62 guided in a support 63 and in the rubber sealing boot 64 carried by cylinder 65 which contains the diaphragm piston 66 urged in a direction to release sleeve F by a spring 61 which is much stronger than spring 58. Diaphragm piston 66 is connected to a leader rod 68 which has a rear extension 69 aligned with rod t2.

Rod 68 has a series of detents 19, 1I and 12, the latter cooperating with a latch 13 such that when vacuum is admitted to chamber 14 to cause the piston 66 and rod 68 to assume their Fig. l1 positions, latch 13 under action of rat-trap spring 15 catches on the forward shoulder of detent 12 and holds the parts as in Fig. l1. At this time rod portion 69 moves turther than rod 62 by the amount of gap v16, a stop 11 acting on lever 59 limiting forward movement of sleeve F by spring 58.

In order to provide for release of sleeve F, it is desirable to provide some means for momentarily relieving the torque load at the teeth 49 and sleeve F and in the present instance I have provided such means as a system of grounding theprimary terminal of the usual distributor. of the .ignition system whereby the engine ignition may be momentarily rendered ineffective thereby unloading the torque at sleeve F sufficiently to insure its release by spring 61. This ignition'invportionate to car travel.

terrupting system is under control of an inter-l rupter switch 18 which-is closed by plunger 19 and ball 80' wheneverrod 89 moves between the Y Fig. and Fig. fl1 positions by reason of the en'- larged rod portion between detents 10, 1|. vIletent 1| is so arranged that, with the parts as in Fig. 1l and sleeve F clutch, rod 88 may move rearwardly sumciently to close gap 19 at the lostmotion between rod portion 89 and rod v|52, this movement causing switch 18 to close and ground Fig. 10 the solenoid H is energized thereby rais- 'ing plunger 80 against ,springv 83 to `seat valve 82 and shut off the vacuum supply to chamber 14 the` ignition A'systemvlhereupon spring 61 may yirs noid circuit being established from ground 98 through switch 94 and conductors 91,` 98 to solenoid H thence by conductor 99 to ignition switch TheV intel-runter switch 1s is in series with switch 94 and also by another circuit with the kick-down switch to be presently described, a branch conductor |05 extending between conductor 98 and one terminal of switch 18, the other terminal being connected by a conductor |08 to the primary terminal of distributer |01 and coil |08 in such manner as to ground and render inoperative the engine'ignition system by closing interrupter switch 18.-

and at the same time unseat valve 8| so as to 'vent this chamber through passage 84, chamber v 88 ani vent passage 88. When the solenoid isv de-energized then spring 88 lowers plunger 80 thereby seating valve 8| to shut off vent 86 and open valve 82 as in Fig. 1l thereby opening chamber 14 to the engine intake manifold K through passage 84, chamber 88', and pipe 81.

A certainlost motion is provided between plunger 88 and the inwardly bent 'finger .13' pf latch 18 so that when the plungerA moves downwardly the latch may subsequently catch at detent 12 when vacuum operates piston 66, the parts then remaining in the Fig. 11 position independently of vacuum in chamber 14 until solenoid H is energized to release the latch and vent chamber 14.

It is deemed preferableto provide a speed control on the-energization of solenoid H so as to insure automatic release of sleeve F below a predetermined car speed and automatic engagement of sleeve F above a predetermined car speed. Whenever the car is in forward driving condition the manual sleeve 42 is either shifted rearwardly to the low range or forwardly to The engine ignition system, part of which is shown in Fig. 10, extends from battery |08 through the ignition switch |00 and thence by conductor |02 to the coil |08 and distrlbuter |01.

Another electrical circuit, referred to as the kick-downA solenoid circuit, is arranged, similar -in some respects to the governor solenoid circuit, for controlling solenoid H so that when the engine throttle is approximately wide open the solenoid may be energized to release latch-13 thereby allowing spring 61 toA take up gap 16 and, in succession, ground the engine ignition system, release sleeve F, restore the ignition system, and by reason of the open throttle cause the engine to quickly increase' its speed to engage clutch E so as to drive the car in either first or third depending on whether the kick-down mechanism was operated while driving in second or fourth respectively. This kick-down solenoid circuitv comprises aground |09 thence by conductor |09. to the kick-down switch ||0 thence by conductor to conductor 98, the rest of this the high range sov that by driving -a governor from the countershaft 35 it is possible to provide a speed control operated proportionate to the speed of travel of the car. Driven from countershaft gear 88 is a governor J of any suitabletype, this governor operating a sleeve 89 outwardly along its drive shaft 90 as the car speed reaches a predetermined point, the Vbreak-away being4 under control -of a detent 9| if desired,

The sleeve 89 has a shoulder I92 engaged by, the swinging switch piece 98 of the governor When the car is stationary the de- `ing the various parts it is obvious that switch 94 may be made to function at desired speeds pro- As an example of one arrangement of governor operation and gearing arrangement, the governor may be made to open circuit being the same as the governor solenoid circuit through solenoid H, ignition switch |08, ammeter 10|, battery |03 and ground-|04.

The kick-down switch ||0 is a push plunger self-releasing type of switch operated by push plungerV I2. The accelerator pedal is yieldingly urged to its throttle closing position by the `W'hen the accelerator pedal is released, plunger switch 94 during caracceleration in first and third respectively at appoximately 7 and 15 M. P. H. (miles per hour), the switch 94 closing i on .stopping the car in direct andV second at approximately 7 and 3 M. P. H. respectively.v

When switch 94 closes then the solenoid Huis energized to vent chamber 14, a governor sole- ||2 follows the-releasing movement of lever |22 thereby opening switch |'|0 and opening the kickdown solenoid circuit.. Thus, opening and closing operations of switch ||0 occur at the region of fun throttlei opening and fun depression or the accelerator pedal.

Inthe operation of the mechanism as thus far described, the car at standstill and with ignition Yin. the engine intake manifold K, plunger now -68 will be operated by vacuum l `rod 68 to its Fig. 11 latched position. As soon being lowered because switen s4 is epee, piston thereby moving as the driver allows the engine to coast, sleeve F will engage teeth 49 synchronously, to step-up the drive to either second or fourth although the lstep-up will be delayed until engine coast thereby: enabling drive-in the slower driving ratio of first or thi'dl as long as desired. If the driver releases the accelerator pedal at a car speed below that causing switch 94 to open, then the car will free-wheel in ilrst under control of overrunning clutch E.

Il the car is initially accelerated in lirst to a speed above the governor critical speed and the engine then allowed to coast, second will automatically become operative. 'I'hen if the driver shifts sleeve I2 forwardly to the high range, third will of course be skipped and fourth will be obtained because sleeve F will remain engaged. Ordinarily, especially where the car is equipped F at a speed synchronizing teeth 49 with the teeth lof sleeve F. This accelerator pedal release opens switch H0 thereby opening the kick-down solenoid circuit whereupon chamber 'Il is opened 1 to vacuum causing piston 66 to moveto its latched position of Fig. 11, spring 58 acting to move sleeveFfox-wardly.

In the foregoing driving system, there. is av Stall at low speeds reason of the use of the fluid coupling B. It is with a huid coupling B, the sleeve .42 may be left I in its high `range and all stops and starts made 'without further shifting. This is possible owing to slippage in the fluid coupling when stopping the car for a trailic light and is practicable because the iluid coupling allows high engine torque for favorable car acceleration and because the governor J always directs a downshift by causing sleeve F to release on bringing the car to rest. 'I'hus there is automatically provided a favorable torque-multiplying gearing for starting, as in third. Just as in lirst, the drive is freewheeling in third below car speeds which otherwise would cause the governor switch 84 to open.

On bringing the car to a stop in fourth or'second, the governor J will close switch 94 thereby energizing^solenoid H and venting chamber 14 which causes spring 61 to thrust rods 68 and 62 rearwardly to release sleeve F as the car approaches a stop with attendant low torque at the teeth of sleeve F. The sleeve F is also disengaged by a full de- Pression of the accelerator pedal 50 at the will of the driver while governor switch 94 is open, this kick-down control being especially benecial to enable the driver to quickly step-down the transmission ratio .for more favorable torque drive as in passing a car on the road or in climbing a hill. The illustrated driver operable means is preferably arranged for control by depressing the accelerator pedal 50' all the way so thatthe step-down will occur as a natural result of manipulating the accelerator pedal for maximum power output. The pedal may either be ar.- ranged to provide this step-down as the engine throttle approaches its wide open position as illustrated or subsequently to the throttle reachthereforel advisable to incorporate in the system a dashpot control on the last part of the throttle closing movement such that this movement is retarded sufficiently-so that a condltion of equilibrium is reached in the fluid coupling and in the -engine intake system whereupon the throttle is then fully closed for conventional engine idling.

without danger of stalling the engine.

However, when such a dashpot control is incorporated in the system, it acts to increase the time of engine retardation, compared to retardation time without the nization of sleeve F with teeth delayed and the driver is com :objectionable length of timev for the Step-up and free-Wheeling elimination to occur. Y Iv 'have therefore provided novel means to automatically render the dashpot inoperative at tlmeswhen there is no danger of enginerstalling under the aforesaid conditions and in the illustrated transmission system I preferably employ the same governor J to control the dashpot action.A Thus,

I9 isv undesirably as soon as governorJ directs clutching of sleeve F the dashpot is put out of action thereby insuring rapid speed ratio step-up and free-wheeling elimination as'soon as the is released, this function anydanger of engine stalling because sleeve F. on clutching, brings about a two-way drive whereby the car drives the engine through the fluid coupling'and also because at such time the engine speed is sulliciently high so that ordinarily there will be no tendency for the engine to' stall.

Once the dashpot has been rendered inoperative.

it preferably remainsin this condition for all carspeeds above those corresponding to opening of ygovernor switch 94 but as soon as the governor switch closes as an'incident to'retardation of the ing its wide open position by providing a mechanism, such as illustrated in the aforesaid Neracher et al., application, which allows the accelerator pedal to overtravel its throttle actuat-"' ing range into a secondary range. Therefore, when the accelerator pedal is fully depressed, at times when switch SI is open and the car is being driven in fourth or second, the kick-down switch VIll isclosed and thekickdown solenoid circuit is thereby established causing momentary interruption of the ignition system accompanied by step-down in the transmission speed ratio as aforesaid to third or rst asL the case .may be. When the driver releases the accelerator pedal, assuming switch 94 is still open at such time, sleeve F will restore the drive to fourth or second as the engine s1ows down te unbloek sleevesV car, then the dashpot control is rendered'oper'- ative again. This will guard against engine stahing at low speeds of the engine Vand is not-objectionable from .other viewpoints because at` such times it is'not, desired to Vengage clutch F as a function of engine retardation.

Referring particularly to Figs. A12 and 13, there is mounted on the carburetor |20 a dashpot L, preferably of the fluid type. having a cylinder |25 adapted to store a quan 'ty of working fluid such as oil. Within this cylinder there is tted a movable dashpot elementA in the form of a piston |26 carried by the |21 which is provided with a main passage |28 freely open downwardly 'to the lower clo chambered end |30 of cylinder |25; 'Adjacent the lower end of'ra rod ward travel of the piston. The iluid. is stored above the piston and freely enters the dashpot working chamber |30 through passage |28 when dashpot, so that synchroto wait'an taking place without the piston moves upwardly by reason of passage inlets |3| under control of a ball check valve |32. When the piston moves upwardly, the ball |32 moves downwardly on the spidered seat |33 rand freely allows the uid to enter inlets |3|, whence theviiuid flowspast ball |32 and down passage |28 to chamber |30. When the ypiston moves downwardly,the fluid is forced up in passage |28 causing ball |32 to seat upwardly and thereby preventing escape of the fluid at inlets |3|. The fluid must then escape at vent |29 which is of such capacity as to retard the downward stroke of the piston until the aforesaid condition of equilibrium is reached at which there is no danger of the engine stalling.

In the foregoing operation ofthe dashpot L it is assumed that the uid has no escape other than through passage |28 but, as will presently be more apparent, I have provided means for venting the pressure chamber |30, this means comprising a by-pass around the piston so that the last part of throttle-closing.

expedtes the change speed functioning oftransl at times thevluid may freely flow back and forth between the chamber' |30 and the yreservoir above the piston without appreciable restriction or retardingaction.

In order to control the throttle vvalve by piston |26, rod |21 is'connected at its upper end,

as at |34, with the onset portion |35 of the reciprocatory lever |36 slidable in a guide |31 and having its lower end shouldered at |38 for engagement by the onset finger |39 of a lever |40 which is fixed to the aforesaid throttle-*valve` shaft ||8 at the end opposite to that carrying lever ||1. A spring |4| yieldingly'acts to raise piston |26 so as to position shoulder |38 for engagement by finger |39 during the last portion of throttle valve closing. Thus when the accelerator pedal 50 is released, spring ||3 quickly acts to nearly close the throttle valve whereupon fmger |39 engages shoulder y|38 and the remainder of the throttle-closing movement is under the delayed control of dashpot L. When the accelerator pedal is depressed, lever |40'v swings clockwise as seen in Fig. 13 away from shoulder |38 so that the throttle valve opens without restriction from dashpot L, spring |4| then raising piston |26 and shoulder |38 into position ready to again retard the final closing movement of the throttle valve when the accelerator pedal is released.

Ihave provided a by-pass vent passage |42 between chamber y|30 and the reservoir space above piston |26,v this passage during the aforesaid operation of the dashpot L being closed against fluid flow therethrough by a valve |43. This valve is carried by a stem |44 slidable in a thimble |45 disposed centrally within a cup |46 containing the windings |41 of an electromagnet M. Cooperating with cup |46,- so as to be attracted to the outer end thereofis an armature |48 which is xed to the outer end of stem |44. A spring |49 yieldingly urges the armature |48 rearwardly so that when the electromagnet M is de-energized, the valve |43 will be moved outwardly to open the by-pass vent |42.

Whenever the electromagnet M is energized, as

in Fig. 1 2, then-dashpot |2 performs its funciloww of the fluid through the by-pass |42.

The retarding action of the dashpot takes place vat engine speeds corresponding to car speeds suilicientlylow to maintain the governor 75 switch 94 closed and thereby energize the elec- I tromagnet M. When the governor J operates to open this switch then the dashpot L is rendered inoperative by de-energizing the electroma'gnet M. Under the :latter condition, release .'of the accelerator pedal will bring about immediate and unrestricted movement of the throttle to its fully closed position thereby minimizing the time required for the engine to slow down t'o synchronize teeth 49 with sleeve F, as compared with the time required if the dashpot L delayed This not only mission D and elimination of free-wheeling but Aalso insures more eiicient use of the engine as a. brake whenever the accelerator pedal is released at speeds causing the governor switch 94 to open.

The governor dashpotcircuit for controlling dashpot L is as follows. Ground |04 through battery |03 and ammeter |0| to ignition switch |00, thence by conductor |50 to the' windings |41 of electromagnetM, then by conductors |5| and 31 to switch 64 andthen to ground 96.

, When the car is being driven at low speeds the last part of throttle closing. When the car y speed is such that governor J acts to open the governor switch 94, then the governor dashpot circuit is broken and spring |49 acts to move valve |43 outwardly to open the by-pass vent |42, the valve remaining in this position as long as the switch 94 remains open, unless the kickdown switch ||0 is closed. With the valve |43 moved outwardly, the dashpot L is rendered ineffective to retard closing`of the throttle as aforesaid but is again immediately brought into action in response to closing of switch 94 as soon as the car speed is sufficiently retarded. In the drawings, the accelerator pedal 50' is shown at about half throttle opening position.

From the foregoing arrangement it will be apparent that the dashpot L is automatically operative when there is danger of engine stalling and when it does not slow up the transmission coast speed change and free-wheeling elimination which operate only above the critical speed of governor J. However as soon as governor J acts to open switch 94, then the dashpot L is rendered ineffective and the step-up in drive incident to clutching movement of sleeve F and the elimination of free-wheeling is' expedited without interference by the dashpot L. Also at the higher speeds the engine is used more efficiently as a brake, by reason of the elimination of the dashpot action because when the accelerator pedal is released for coasting against' the engine, the throttle valve immediately closes.

-One important feature in the operationV of my throttle control relates to the arrangement whereby the dashpot action is selectively rendered operative and ineective substantially instantaneously in response to energization and deenergization of the electromagnet. In my control arrangement I do not rely on moving the piston |26 downwardly on its retardng stroke and holding )it down in order to render the dashpot' ineffective because with such arrangement it-may be possible for the accelerator pedal to be released so suddenly that lever |40 encounters the full or partial resistance of the dashpot before the piston vcan be depressed owing to the inertia ofthe moving dashpot parts and the delay in moving the piston downwardly because of the uid restric` tion. With my arrangement, incorporating the by-pass vent |42 and valve |43, the time required illustrate one condition in the operation of the' transmission control system wherein my dashpot control provides, they aforesaid advantageous action let it be assumed, for example, that the car is ltravelling in third with the accelerator pedal 50 fully depressedto close the kick-down switch H' and that the car is travelling at a speed causingv the governor switch 94 to remain open. `Under these conditions the' electromagnet M will be energized as in Fig. 12 and dashpot piston |26 will be raised by spring |4| ready for a downward retarding stroke. The reason that the electromagnet is energized under this condition is because the governor switch 94 and the kickdown switch il@ form parallel circuits embodying the electromagnet M such that, ,with governor switch 94 open, the conductor |5| is now grounded at |09 by way of conductor lli and switch H0 instead of at 96 through the governor switch. Now let it be assumed, in the foregoing example, that the driver suddenly releases the accelerator pedal. Under such conditions it is desirable to let the engine slow down as rapidly as possible to synchronize teeth Q9 with sleeve F' to allow the latter to clutch with these teeth and step-up the transmission ratio from the assumed third to valve |63 outwardly so that by the time lever |40 engages shoulder |38, piston |28 may then be moved downwardly without any dashpot retardlng action. The initial releasing movement of the `chamber so as to render said dashpot means in- ,eiective to retard the last part of the throttle closing movement.

3. In combination with an engine having a throttleadaptedfor opening, and closing movetarding movement thereof, and valving means for said chamber operable from a closed position accommodating said throttle retarding operation o! said dashpot means to/an open position thereby to vent said chamber and render said dashpot means ineffective to retard said throttle closing movement.

4. In combination with an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, dashpot means operable to retard only`the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a mcvable'dashpot,

element and a pressure-fluid-receiving chamber cocperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, valving means for said chamber operable from a closed position accommodating said throttle retarding operation of said dashpot means to an open position thereby to vent said chamber and render said dashpot last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-iiuid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, valving means for said chamber operable from a closed position accomaccelerator pedal thus serves to vent the dashpot working chamber |30. If the piston |26 had to be lowered and held in such position, instead of employing the by-pass |42, as a means of rendering the dashpot ineffective then the lever .|40 would tend to catch-up to such downward piston movement and encounter undesirable retarding action under the circumstances outlined in the foregoing example.

I claim:

l. In combination with an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing' movements, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-fluid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, and means operable to vent said chamber so as to render'said dashments, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-iiuid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for rev tarding movement thereof, and electromagnetically controlled means operable to vent said dashpot means modating said throttle retarding operation of said dashpot means to an open position thereby to vent said chamber and render said dashpot means ineiective to retard said throttle closing movement, and electromagnetically controlled means for operating said valving means from its said open position .to its said closed position.

6. In combination with an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, dashpot means operable toretard only the' last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-fluid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, means operable to vent said chamber so as to render said dashpot means ineffective to retard the last part of the throttle closing movement, governor means, means for operating said governor means, and means for controlling operation of -said vent means in response to operation of said governor means.

7. In combination with an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of .the throttle closing movement, said .comprising a.l movable dashpot element and a pressure-fluid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, electromagnetlcally controlled means operable to vent said chamber so -as to render said dashpot means ineffective to gization of said electromagnet in response to operation of said governor means.

8. In combination with an engine having ay throttle adapted for opening and closing movements; dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dhpot means comprising a fluid reservoir, a pressure iiuid chamber, and a movable dashpot element cooperably associated with said chambers; a fluid by-pass between said chambers; and valving means for said by-pass operable from a rst position closing said by-pass so as to accominodate said throttle lretarding operationv of said dashpot means to a second position opening said by-pass thereby to render said dashpot means ineffective to retard said throttle closing movement.

9. In combination with an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements; dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a iiuid reservoir, a pressure iiuid chamber, and a movable dashpot element cooperably associated with said chambers, a fluid by-pass between said chambers; and valving means for'said by-pass operable from a ilrst position closing said by-pass so as to accommodate said throttle retarding operation of said dashpot means to a second position opening said by-pass thereby to rendersaid dashpot means ineiective to retard said throttle closing movement; and electromagnetically controlled means for operating said valving means from one of its said positions t the other.

f 10. In combination with an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movev ments; dashpot means operable to retard only the Vlast part of the throttle closing movement. said dashpot means comprising a iiuid reservoir, a pressure uid chamber, and a movable dashpot element cooperably associated with said chambers; a.nid by-pass between said chambers; valving means for said by-pass operable from a iirst position closing said by-pass so as to accommodate said throttle retarding operation of said dashpot means to a second position opening said by-pass thereby to render said dashpot means ineffective to retard said throttle closing movement; governor means; means for operating said governor means; and means for controlling operation of said valving means in response to operation of said governor means. v

11. In combination with an engine havingy a throttle adapted for opening and closing move-v ments; dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said electromagnetically controlled means for operat-l ing said valving means fromone of its said positions to the other; governor means; meansl for operain'ng saidgovernor means; and means for controlling energization of said electromagnet in response to operation of said governor means.

12. In a motor vehicle drive comprising an engine having a throttle adapted foropening and closing movements, an accelerator pedal operably connected to said throttle and adapted to be depressed by the vehicle driver to effect said throttle opening movement. dashpot means op-` erable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement as an incident to release 'of the accelerator pedal by thevehiele driver,

said dashpot means comprising-a movable dashpot element and a pressure-fluid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retardingy movement thereof, and` means operable to vent said chamber in response t'o release of said accelerator pedal from approximately fully' depressed position thereof Athereby to render said dashpot means ineffective to 'retard the last part of the throttle closing movement.

y 13. In a motor vehicle drive comprising .an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, anv accelerator pedal operably connected to said throttle and adapted to be depressed by the vehicle driver to eiiect said throttle opening movement, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part' of the throttle closing movement as an incident to release of the accelerator pedal by the` vehicle driver, said dashpot meanscomprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-fiuid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, electromagnetically controlled means operable to vent said chamber,

l.and means for controlling energization of said electromagnet in respnse to release of said ac-` celerator pedal from approximately fully depressed position thereof thereby to render said dashpot means ineffective to retard the last part of the throttle closingI movement.

14. In a motor vehicle drive comprising an engine having a throttle adapted' for opening and closing movements, an accelerator pedal operably connected to said throttle and adapted -to be depressed by the vehicle driver to effect said throttle opening movement, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the `throttle closing movement as an incident to release .of the accelerator pedalby the vehicle driver,

vsaid dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-uid-receiving cham- -ber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, and. means operable to vent said chamber in response to movement of said acceleratorvpedal thereby to render said dashpot means ineffective to retard thelast part of the throttle closing movement.

l5. In a, drive for a motor vehicle having an engine provided with a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, dashpot means operable to retard onlyv the last part of the throttle closing movement. said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-iiuid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, means operable to vent said chamber, a variable speed ratio transmission comprisr ing means operable to effect changein the speed ratio drive between the engine and vehicle, change-speed control means operable to control operation of said speed ratio change means, and means operable under control of said changespeed control means for operating said vent means to selectively render `the dashpot means either operable as aforesaid or ineifectlve to retard the last part of the throttle closing movement.

16. In a drive for a motor vehicle having an engine provided with a throttle adapted for openf ing and closing movements, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressurefluid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, means operable to vent said chamber, a, variable speed ratio transmission comprising means operable to effect change in the speed ratio drive between the engine andv vehicle, change-speed controlmeans operable in response to predetermined speed of travel of the vehicle to control operation of said speed ratio change means, and means operable under control of said changespeed control means for operating said vent means to selectively render the dashpot means either operable as aforesaid or ineii'ective to retard the last part of the throttle closing movement. y

1'7. In a motor vehicle drive comprising an engine having a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, an accelerator pedal operably connected to said throttle and adapted to be depressed by the vehicle driver to effect said throttle opening movement, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement as an incident to release of the accelerator pedal by the vehicle driver, said dashpot vmeans comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-duid-receiving chamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, electromagnetically controlled means operable to vent said chamber, a pair of parallelly-arranged electrical circuits each adapted to control energization of said electromagnet, means responsive to movement of the accelerator pedal for controlling one of said circuits, and means responsive to predetermined speed of travel of the vehicle for controlling the other of said circuits.

18. In a motor vehicle drive comprising an engine having a throttle adapted for opening 'be depressed by the vehicle driver to effect said throttle opening movement, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement as an incident to release of the accelerator pedal by the vehicle driver, said dashpot means comprising a movable dashpot element and a pressure-fiuid-receivingchamber cooperably associated with said element for retarding movement thereof, means operable to vent said chamber, means responsive to movement of the accelerator pedal for controlling operation of said vent means, and means responsive to predetermined speed of travel of the vehicle for controlling operation of said vent means.

19. In a drive for a motor vehicle having an engine provided with a throttle adapted for opening and closing movements, dashpot means operable to retard only the last part of the throttle closing movement, said dashpot means comvehicle is travelling at or above a predetermined speed, change-speed control means operable to control operation of said speed ratio change means in response to predetermined speed of travel of the vehicle, and means operable under control of said change-speed control meansA for effecting` operation of said vent means thereby to render said dashpot means ineffective to retard the last part of the throttle closing movement when the vehicle attains the aforesaid predetermined speed.

VICTOR E. MATULAITIS. 

